The Fatality
by Voluminous
Summary: Hornet is succumbing to the disease, yet she still must fight what has caused her illness, along with the silent ghost.


_Hornet had staggered to the temple, her legs trembling under the considerably light weight of her body. She collapsed against the aged wall that had thousands of punctures and imperfections in a single brick. _

The slim, pale figure lay against a stone structure. Her weapon was held to her chest and her knees were curled up. Hornet could hear the distant sound of approaching footsteps. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the coolness of the wall. It felt as if she was burning alive, hanging on by a thread. The disease had started to consume her only days prior and now she felt as one would if a worm had been crushed under a sturdy boot.

Hornet's head felt like it was being consumed by fire as she opened her aching eyes. The entity she could only refer to as "ghost" stood before her, their nail tied to their cloaked form. It stared at the lean bug with no expression or dialogue, only a husk of a normal being. Hornet could feel pins and needles starting to take hold of her feet. "You haven't seen me be ravaged by the disease yet. I've almost gone, but I came here to…"

Hornet trailed off, her mind clouded. Forgetfulness- a fun part of the horrible infection that was taking hold of her. The ghost stood motionless, the only movement being the faint motion of their cloak being gently tugged away by the wind. Something clicked within her as she collected her thoughts. "I came here to see you defeat the beast that lies within these ruins. You're the only bug who has been able to avoid becoming infected when directly fighting the disease. I truly wonder about you."

The insect that stood before Hornet only stared at her, but not directly at her. Something more like only they could see. It stared at her for awhile longer, before starting to break whatever seal had kept the tomb sealed. Hornet didn't really care though- she was hot, dehydrated, and barely conscious. The tall bug wrapped her arms around her knees and let her head rest in between them. The sudden shortness of her breath caught Hornet off guard as she violently coughed into her velvet cloak.

She looked up at the ghost, who was staring blankly back at her. It just… Stared at her, unfeeling and unblinking. Hornet's vision was starting to get dark around the edges, and had a certain air of fuzziness to it. Not to mention the dull yet pounding headache that had manifested. "I truly wonder about you- your immunity, your life before all this." The ghost gazed at her with the hollow stare that didn't give any indication as to whether what she was saying made any sense to them. "Go." Without hesitation, they then dashed off into the thickly veiled darkness of the structure.

Hornet could finally rest, knowing the ghost was at the point where they could complete the unknown quest that had consumed their life. Did she even really care about the blank-faced bug? Maybe. Something about them reminded Hornet of a memory- or perhaps another thing- that had been with her since she was a hatchling. Something important, beautiful, yet also painful and full of mockery. Yet, This memory was becoming now distant and unimportant to Hornet, as she drifted away from the realm of consciousness and into the comforting warmth of sleep.

A stabbing, fresh pain jolted Hornet from her slumber. Her stomach felt as if something lethal and precise had plunged through her. The bug lifted her scarlet cloak hurriedly to check for any signs of a wound, feeling weirdly more _alive_ then she had ever felt in the last few days. A pain like no other pierced her skull, and Hornet suddenly knew what she had to do. Despite her headache and aching, weak legs, Hornet grasped the needle that served as her sword and ran into the dark area that had once been sealed off.

Pain overwhelmed her senses yet she dutifully sliced through the darkness. Hornet was near succumbing to the fatal disease, and she didn't have much time left even if she avoided this battle. The warrior halted suddenly at the entrance of a chamber where a fight had commenced. The ghost sliced at the large, pale creature's cloak, chopping off bits of fabric. The larger bug attempted to impale his smaller opponent with the thin sword he held.

There. A fleeting moment of clarity consumed Hornet in her otherwise infected and failing mind. Marvelous, agile, pure, yet also sorrowful and broken. She had seen the Hollow Knight's statues before, centered in towns. Yet she had never recognized the familiar horns and dull cloak from the statues, as accurate as they were. Her brother; before he had become _this_. Hornet thought back to her earliest memories of tenderness and warmth as she readied her aim to throw precisely.

The ghost sliced its nail across their enemy's legs, adding to the multitude of long, thin wounds they had already assured that their opponent had sustained. The Hollow Knight bent over, readying his blade to stab his own underbelly. Yet, a thin needle swung out into the air and plunged downwards, twisting itself around the giant's black form. The creature writhed as Hornet held onto the thread and swiftly slid down. She landed roughly and planted one foot on the monster's head, while the other on his firm neck. Hornet felt dizzy, as if she could stumble off of her opponent at any time, but held steadfast. The Hollow Knight struggled against her, subdued against her thin yet secure thread.

"Kill him."

The ghost had struck their nail directly between the thick crack spanning across the Hollow Knight's head. It split open with the sickening _crack_ of bones. Hornet felt her already aching head suddenly explode with pain as she was violently thrown off her opponent. She fell at least 8 feet away from where she had been just moments ago. The velvet-cloaked bug felt something breaking internally as a splitting pain rose from her chest.

Her breath heaved, Hornet's vision blurring rapidly. She turned over, wincing at the pain emitting from her chest, and looked at the ghost. Their tiny figure stood next to the giant, bent-over corpse of the late Hollow Knight. Hornet wanted to continue staring, see how the adventure concluded, but she much better preferred submitting to her mind, which screamed at her to sleep. Hornet knew this would be her last time sleeping but wasn't particularly worried about it.

She was able to join her mother.

Hornet very quickly succumbed to the illness.


End file.
